Smart meter installation

Please note: smart meters are only available on the Smart tariff

Do I have to have a smart meter installed on the Smart tariff?

Yes. We are the first electricity and gas provider to install smart meters as standard, currently offering smart meters to customers in the East and West Midlands regions, with plans to expand our offer to the rest of the UK during 2010. The Government has announced that smart meters will be rolled-out to all domestic customers by the end of 2020 so we are way ahead of the game!

By installing a smart meter we will be able to measure your electricity and gas accurately and therefore only bill you for what you actually use. Your smart meter also allows you to view your daily energy usage online.

Will I have to pay to have a smart meter installed?

No, our meter installation is free of charge for all new customers who sign up to the Smart tariff.

What’s the installation process?

Installing a new meter is quick and easy. A first:utility engineer will arrive at your home at a pre-set time agreed by you. For electricity the power will need to be turned off for approx 30 minutes while the meters are exchanged. For gas installation, this can take up to an hour and your gas supply will need to need to be turned off and the system purged (purified).

It may be necessary to install the electricity and gas meters on different days.

Do I need to be at home when the smart meter is installed?

Yes. Even if both of your electricity and gas meters are located outside your home we would still recommend that you are in residence when our engineer arrives. This is to check that everything in your home is working properly when the gas and electricity supply is turned back on.

Our standard working hours are 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Work can be undertaken outside these hours for an extra fee of £65.

Can I change my installation date?

Your smart meter installation date is arranged around a convenient date for you. If you do need to change the date you can choose an alternative appointment via the customer registration portal. The link to access the portal is in the email we sent you when we asked you to choose an installation date. If you have deleted this email please contact customer services on 0845 215 5000. You can only change your installation date up to 24 hours before your original agreed date otherwise you will incur a £65 abortive visit charge.

What happens if I have a personal emergency and I can’t be at home for your visit?

In case of an emergency please contact our service delivery team on 0845 215 5000 as soon as you can so that we can arrange an alternative date.

Can you relocate my gas and/or electricity meter?

No. If you would like your meters relocated, the work must be carried out before our meter engineer arrives.

Are there any reasons why you may not be able to fit a smart meter in my home?

In most cases smart meters are installed with no problems at all. On the rare occasion we do encounter problems this is usually down to the following:

• A weak mobile signal (smart meters communicate using mobile technology, therefore a weak signal will prevent the meter sending the reads to our head office)
   
• The meter is located in a place our engineers are unable to get to

What happens if my meters stop working?

If there is a fault with your smart meter then in most cases we will be able to identify this immediately. If you think there is a problem with you meter and we haven’t identified it you should contact our customer service team on 0845 215 5000.

How frequently will you read my smart meter?

Your electricity meter readings are recorded every 30 minutes and your gas once every 24 hours. Under normal circumstances we retrieve this data once a day so that it can be viewed by you on your first:utility online account. In cases where daily communications may be unreliable, the interval readings are stored in the meter for 40 days, giving us ample opportunity to retry the collection process.

What technology do you use to send the readings back to your offices?

To date we have deployed smart meters using several different communication technologies including PLC (Power Line Carrier), GPRS, GSM, SMS, PSTN and 868Mhz low power radio. We are currently assessing several other radio options. Depending on the individual geographical location it is likely that we will deploy either SMS or GPRS enabled electricity meters. Meters installed underground or in basements may require the installation of an external aerial.

We would like to make it clear that we are providing a service based on a set of functionality - accurate billing, load profiles etc - which is not provided on the premise of using any one particular technology

Is the smart meter compatible with other energy suppliers?

All of our smart meters are fully compatible with other energy providers and can still be read manually.

What happens if I move home?

The smart meter will stay where it is. We hope that you will choose us as your preferred supplier in your new home and therefore we will install a smart electricity and gas meter in your new home following the same process as described above. There will be no charge and your account will continue as before.

If, however, you do not wish to stay with first:utility and you are within the 2 year contract period, you will be liable to pay the cancellation fee of £50 per energy supply (meter) as outlined in our Terms and Conditions (pdf)